Acting Battalion Chief Dave Lanting called the blaze a "firefighter's nightmare" as the flames spread to the roof of the old, compartmentalized building.

There were no initial reports of injuries.

Neighbors allege the fire was started by an 8-year-old boy burning leaves in the backyard, but Lanting could not immediately confirm the cause. Tenant Whitney Lott said she saw the boy burning leaves then run away.

Arthur Gwion, 27, said he was driving near the building when he spotted a boy run out from the apartments and then run back inside with a small pot of water. Gwion ran into the smoke-filled building while another person called 911.

Gwion at first ran upstairs, where he heard a woman through the thick smoke say there was a person in the basement. Another person helped him kick down the basement door.

"I told the kid (inside the apartment), 'There’s a fire that’s roaring,'" Gwion said. "“I just saw a house full of fire. I wasn’t fearing for my life. I couldn’t just leave.”

Heavy smoke billowed from the building and could be seen from U.S. 131.